Staying Together While Falling Apart
by Leanna R
Summary: 4 years later, Courtney, Jason, and Meg are living their pefect little lives as the perfect family. But perfect can't last forever. Sequel to Sometimes Wishes Come True. Journey All the Way! NO SAM, sorry for the confusion. NOW COMPLETE!
1. 4 Years Later :Nearly:

A/N: Hello all! And here is the lovely sequel to _Sometimes Wishes Come True_. This picks up nearly four years after _SWCT_ ends. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but in my story, Courtney and Jason were never divorced although they did go through a rough patch with Brian and all that crap. Anywho, happy reading, and there will be another sequel after I finish this one! I have ideas for that one, but I've gotta get through this one first.

**Disclaimer:** If I actually owned them, would I be writing about them online? (The answer to that one is "ah...no")

And now thanks to those of you who actually reviewed the last chapter of _SWCT_. As for you other lazy bums, here's a slap on the wrist for you and a frown :slap: (

middiegurl08- Aww, you're one of my favorite fanfic writers too! And I'm glad you liked the cheese, however strongly I gooped it on.

emmalee05- I know all about little divas. I'm actually basing Meg's character on my cousin Nicole. She's a handful. That, and I worked with 16 little girls going into kindergarten over the summer at a day camp so I was able to capture Meg's age perfectly for this story.

luvthemorgans- Oh Bre, you're always so mature and classy. You're definitely the Kate Hepburn of our time. Speaking of class, I so rule at the pee-pees! Not you! (That may sound weird to an outsider who was not in on the joke)

Seth Cohen's girlfriend- You have been missed, but I completely understand about Spanish grades. Now you just have to update your stories. I've been dying for some more of _Love or Loyalty?_ forever!

Jackie-Ken- I am so glad that you loved the story. Thanks for reviewing!

LoLogirl28- I heart Monica. And they made a few steps on the show to reunite her with Jason, but I'm taking matters into my own hands! Glad you liked it!

Pureevil230- Those Spencers, they're always right, lol. Yes, I'm a huge Luke fan. But the old Luke, the new and improved Luke is kinda irritating.

Nell- All of your reviews were greatly appreciated, and I loved to hear from you whenever I could. I can't wait to hear your opinions on this one too.

anon14- I am so glad that you liked it. I'm also happy that you had faith in me!

Samantha- Aww, don't cry. We have this story all ready for you to read. You don't have to say goodbye to Meg just yet.

SuzieQ8487- You know what they say about cute little babies bringing people together. Well, actually, I just made that up. But you get my point. Glad you liked it!

ImJustKidding89- It is so hard to write fluff! I felt like a huge marshmallow or something afterwards. I felt like I needed to be mean after that, and like, kick a puppy or something (don't worry, I didn't). But I'm glad you appreciated it at least!

sexyt- Again, it's that popular baby thing, just like I said to Suzie. I'm so glad you loved my ending!

jennifer...courtneylovejason- I'm glad you were still with us! I thought you like, got eaten by an alligator or something. But you're good, and I'm glad. And I look forward to reading what you have to say on this story too!

* * *

**Chapter 1-Four Years Later (Nearly)**

In all the years that he had been Jason Morgan, he still couldn't comprehend what was so important about paperwork. He just couldn't wrap his around why he had so much of it to do. Peering at the clock, Jason saw that it was eight o'clock. He had been so preoccupied with all of this mind numbing paperwork that he hadn't even noticed that he had forgotten to eat both lunch and dinner that day. Throwing down his pen in frustration, Jason began to feel the hunger. Now that he was actually thinking about it, he was able to hear his stomach growling. When he had become occupied with other things, he had forgotten all about being hungry.

"Knock knock" came a voice from behind his office door.

"Knock knock!" followed a little voice.

Suddenly, the door was flung open and a mess of blonde curls flung herself into Jason's arms. Jason bent down and scooped her up, picking her up in his arms and twirling her around. Meg, his 'nearly five' years old daughter, laughed and giggled in delight. Courtney stood behind her, a brown bag in her hand.

"Hey" he said as he walked over to her and kissed her, Meg still firmly held in his arms.

"Hey yourself" she said.

"How'd you know I was still here and not on some assignment?" asked Jason as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Because" said Courtney as she fixed her husband's hair, "I asked Sonny and he informed me that you were still here, slaving over paperwork"

"Sonny was right" said Jason as he put Meg down.

"And I'm assuming you didn't eat lunch or dinner today" said Courtney with an irritated sigh.

"Nope" said Jason with a grin, hoping to avoid a Courtney lecture.

How ineffectual that was.

"Jason, you need to eat. If you don't eat, you're going to make yourself sick. If you make yourself sick, than you are not going to be able to work. We all know that this is not what you want. And not only that, if you make yourself sick you are not going to be alert and awake for Meg's…"

"FIRST DAY OF KINDER-GARDEN!" screamed an excited Meg as she finished her mother's sentence, practically jumping up and down from excitement.

"You are getting very jumpy babe" said Jason as he picked up Meg again.

"Daddy, kinder-garden is big! Big big big! You can't miss it" she told him.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" he told her.

"Good" she said as she folded her arms like he did when he got his way.

"And remember what we said sweetie" interjected Courtney. "It's not 'kinder-garden', its Kindergarten"

"You mean we don't grow nicer plants?" asked Meg as she cocked her head to the side in confusion.

Courtney and Jason both started laughing.

"You may grow some plants, but that's not only what you do in kindergarten" said Courtney.

"I think me and Morgan need to have a talk. I need a better es'planation" said Meg.

"I think a talk would be good" agreed Jason. "Now, you mentioned my eating habits. That paper bag wouldn't happen to be something for me to eat, would it?" he asked hopefully.

"Daddy, don't be a silly-dilly head. You can't eat a paper bag" said Meg with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, I can't?" he asked her mischievously as he started to tickle her.

"Daddy! No!" she cried out as she continued to laugh, her little giggles filling Jason's small office with a joyous mood like it hardly ever saw.

"Jase, don't get her worked up before bed" scolded Courtney.

"Alright, alright. I give in" said Jason as he stopped his tickle attack. "Now, is there or is there not food in that bag?"

"There is food in here" said Courtney as she held up the bag.

"Mmm" said Jason as he opened up the bag and peered inside to see the Kelly's take out.

"What time do you think your gonna be home?" asked Courtney

"By midnight hopefully" said Jason with a sad sigh.

"Midnight! But that's way past my bedtime!" cried an indignant Meg.

"I'm so sorry babe, but I need to work" he said as he knelt down so that he was at her level.

"But you need to read me a bedtime story" she said with a pout.

"Maybe Uncle Max will read you a bedtime story" said Jason.

"Oh, I don't think so" said Courtney with a laugh.

"Uncle Max got mad tonight" whispered Meg to Jason.

"What happened?" asked Jason.

"Simba happened" said Courtney.

"Oh no" said Jason as he furrowed his brow.

"Oh yeah. I obviously wasn't walking him, so it was up to Max"

"How far did he get before he got peed on?"

"Max was officially marked as territory within two blocks"

"That dog and I need to talk" said Jason. "He's in Sonny and my territory. He can't just go around claiming what isn't his. It could start a war" he teased.

"Please, don't even joke about that. These violence-free past few years have been bliss, lets not curse it" said Courtney.  
"You're right, I'm sorry" said Jason as he planted a gentle kiss on her lips before starting to laugh. "Oh Simba" he said as he thought back to the day they had first gotten the pup.

_Flashback_

"_Come on Courtney, why not?" asked Jason as he paced the living room._

"_Jason, dogs are a big responsibility" said Courtney. "Remember when we had to give up Rosie"_

"_But that was different. We didn't have stable lives then. We were dealing with crazy things. But we're not anymore. Besides, Meg could use a little responsibility"_

"_Jason, she's two. Right now, her only responsibility is getting all of her baby teeth and sleeping through the night"_

"_Alright, but she could use a friend that's always around. And I'll take care of the dog. I'll walk him, and feed him, and as Meg gets older she can help"_

"_We'll talk more about dogs when we get a house" said Courtney as she brushed off the conversation._

_By the time Meg was three, the Morgan's found their dream house. It was perfect, right down to the white picket fence. It sat far back on the property, making it safe enough. It had a huge backyard where Jason, Max, Marco, and Francis spent one afternoon setting up a swing set, emerging with the setup and a few broken fingers between them. They learned that day that although Marco could handle a gun, he clearly could not handle a hammer. But that was all anyone needed to handle anymore. The business was calm, and everyone was happy. The house had been 'safetyized' as Courtney called it, and they moved into the big home, making it more than just their living quarters. _

_Jason had discovered the dog one day when he was up at dawn, watching the sun rise as he sometimes did. It was the most peaceful time, and he often thought about waking Courtney and Meg up and throwing them on the back of his motorcycle and driving them off to Vista Point to watch the colors in the sky. But Meg was too little to go on any rides yet, and they couldn't just leave her, so he restrained himself. But sometimes it was hard. He heard some whimpering and looked into the bushes, contemplating whether or not he should run inside and grab his gun, in case this was some sort of intruder. All the sudden, the bushes rustled and moved as a little golden colored pup walked out. He was tiny, and he looked to Jason to be a mutt. He was cute, but scared._

"_Hey puppy" said Jason tenderly as he bent down to get a better look at the dog. "Don't be scared" he said as he reached out for the dog, gently petting it as it shook in fear. "I'm not going to hurt you" he said as he scooped the pup up and held him in his arms._

_The dog seemed to calm down at this. Walking back into the house, Jason heard Courtney and Meg in the kitchen. Apparently, they had risen rather early that day._

"_Courtney" called Jason as he walked into the kitchen._

"_What's wrong?" she asked as Jason walked in. "Oh my god, is that a dog? Where did he come from?" she asked._

"_Puppy?" asked Meg from her seat at the kitchen table._

"_I was in the backyard and I heard his whimpers. He kinda found me. He's all alone" said Jason._

"_Well we can't just leave him back there" said Courtney._

"_I thought a dog was too much responsibility" teased Jason._

"_Well, it is. But you offered to walk and feed him. Besides, we have a house now. He'll have room to play" said Courtney._

"_What should we name him?" asked Jason as Meg left her chair and walked over to Jason to see the dog. "Don't touch him yet" instructed Jason to Meg. "He needs to get checked out and get his shots first" he explained._

"_We should name the puppy Simba" said Meg, as even at three she was sure of herself._

"_Simba?" asked Courtney. "You mean from the _Lion King?_" asked Courtney._

"_Yes" said Meg._

"_Sweetpea, Simba means lion" explained Jason._

"_Da puppy looks like a lion. A baby lion. A puppy lion" said Meg._

"_A puppy lion it is" said Jason with a smile. "Welcome to the family Simba"_

_And that was how the Morgan's got the second 'found' member of their family._

_End Flashback_

"Daddy, Simba needs to be potty trained" explained Meg, breaking him from his thoughts. "He can borrow my old pull-ups! I don't need them anymore 'cause I'm in big girl underwear" she informed him, her thumb flying to her open mouth.

"I don't think Simba would be too happy if we put him in a pull-up babe" said Jason as he gently removed her thumb from her mouth.

"Ok daddy, I understand" she said, and he knew that she really did.

"I think its time for Mommy to take you home sweetie. I think its bedtime" Jason told her.

"Goodnight kisses?" she asked him.

"Of course!" he told her as he scooped her up in his arms again and gave her a big hug followed by lots and lots of kisses.

She giggled as he kissed her before pulling back and looking at his face.

"I love you Daddy" she told him as she kissed his cheek and gave him another tight hug.

"I love you too babe" said Jason as he hugged her too.

He passed a tired Meg to Courtney who held her daughter tightly in her arms, despite how big she was getting.

"I'll see you later" said Courtney as she gave him a quick kiss.

"I love you" he told her, moving back a strand of her hair that had fallen in front of her face.

"I love you too" said Courtney as she kissed him again, this time with more passion and longing.

He held her tightly to himself for a moment with Meg still in her arms before releasing her and watching as the two most important people in his life walked away.

* * *

Jason was about to eat his lunch/dinner when he heard a sound from outside. With a frustrated sigh, he grabbed his gun and walked outside. He knew that it was probably just an animal of some sort. The Port Charles territory had been violence free for years. There were bigger and better ports that other mobsters were interested in, and Sonny and Jason had reached a point in their lives where it all didn't matter as much to them. They both cared about their families first and foremost. Jason walked outside and looked around. He heard a crash and saw a raccoon run out of one of the now overturned garbage cans. 

"Get out of here" he said as he shooed the animal.

He turned to leave when gun shots suddenly rang out. He was caught off guard and he never even had a chance to reach for his own gun before he felt the bullet pierce his skin.

"Courtney, Meg" he croaked out before everything went black.

* * *

A/N: Haha! Faked you all out with the fluff. I want everyone to take what you know about my writing style and throw it out the window. This is going to be completely different, trust me. It may take a while for you to catch on, but aside from the unexpected plot twists, I plan on making this a completely different story all together. Lemme know what you thought, leave me a review! 


	2. A Plan

A/N: Here we go, chapter two, woo-hoo! I just finished writing chapter 7. Seriously, by the time we get to chapter 4ish, I'm going to be getting hate mail, death threats, and no one's going to be reading anymore. I'm just a huge bitch in this story. Honestly, I'm out of control. But that's ok, it'll all work out for the best. So, without further ado, here's chapter 2 (don't you love things that rhyme)

Pureevil230- I love that the first review I ever got for this story starts with "u suck". That does wonders for my self esteem, lol. But yes, I know that you love the fluff.

Seth Cohen's girlfriend- You are a horrible person. I am dying for more of that story, and I'm sure a lot of people are. Get it together missy! That's tough love, Leanna style.

luvthemorgans- Ah yes, freshman. So immature. Bre, Bre, Bre. Cute as a button, not quite as smart. (I'm not sure if I've used that one on you before, but I'm using it again.

LoLogirl28- I explained about Rosie's disappearance in SWCT. It always bothers me when they just 'lose' pets on TV. They do that to children too. I mean, seriously, Lulu was lost for a longgggg time.

Hanna415- I'm glad

middiegurl08- No use in building up the anxiety with the fluff and then pouring on the angst. I had to get right to it. I'm glad I was able to make your day.

sexyt- They're Courtney and Jason. Of course they know each other! Lol. And I'm glad you liked my sugar coated little attempts at humor.

Samantha- You know the angst rocks your socks. Fluff is sweet and all but it has nothing on some old fashioned physical/emotional pain. We're a society of sadists and masochists, lol.

anon14- I love me some curveballs. And I don't want to kick the puppy per say, I just want to get my anger out on something fluffy and furry. Name an animal you don't like and I'll kick that one. I hate birds. So I'll kick a pigeon.

jennifer..courtneylovejason- well, you already know what happens, but still… I'm glad you liked it so much! And I'm glad you loved Meg.

Tania- Boredom is for losers! We here at camp Leanna always make sure that our stories are chock full of goodstuff. Wow, what did I just say? I would delete it and post something else but I think it's important that you see how tired I am, yet I am still updating.

jinxyknockonwood- I'm glad that your glad. We are just a group full of happy people.

DaniBabez- Oops, silly grades. Like they really matter anyway… But I'm glad you like my sequel so far!

Starlet- As hard as it is to say, I'm glad that you're saying it. Fluff is sweet and all, but it's angst that makes for good material. And I'm glad you like the title. People don't realize just how important the title of a story is and how much time I spend thinking them up.

_(There technically was further ado, 'cause I had the thanks, but without further ado except for the thanks doesn't rhyme with chapter 2)

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_

**Chapter 2- A Plan**

"My name is Courtney Morgan, my husband was admitted here for a gun shot wound" cried Courtney as she explained to the nurse on duty at GH.

"Ma'am, you are just going to sit down and wait a few moments. We can't give out any information on your husband's condition yet" said the nurse, knowing exactly who both Courtney and her husband were.

"Courtney! Come with me" instructed Dr. Emily Cassadine as she came up to Courtney, took her by the hand, and led her away.

"Were you Jason's doctor Em?" she asked.

"No, they wouldn't let me be cause of the whole family thing. But Liz assisted as a nurse, so we'll be able to get information" said Emily as she led Courtney into a restricted area and then into a room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jason Morgan was not a happy camper. He was being poked and prodded like he was a piece of meat, and he was being talked about as though he wasn't even there. 

"I'd like to at least call my wife" he said loudly, but naturally he was ignored.

Jason sat up in the bed as the doctors tried to push him back down, but found themselves unable to.

"Mr. Morgan, if you don't lie back down and cooperate, we are going to need to give you a sedative and restrain you" said one of the doctors.

"Jason, I sent Emily to look for Courtney, don't worry" assured Liz.

"I'm fine, I don't need to be here" said Jason as he tried to get up again.

"Mr. Morgan" warned the doctor as he readied a sedative.

"Wait, that won't be necessary" said Emily as she pushed open the door and Courtney ran in, right into Jason's outstretched arm. The good one at least.

"Thank god your ok baby" she said as she planted kisses all over him. "I was so worried"

"It's alright. I'm ok now" he told her. "Now that you're here"

"Mrs. Morgan, you can't be in here" instructed the doctor.

"If she goes, I go too" Jason growled at the doctor.

"I thought you were shot?" Courtney asked, surprised to see him so alert and together.

"A bullet grazed my arm. I passed out from blood loss before but I'm fine now" he told her as he held up his arm so she could inspect it.

"He still needs to get stitched up though" said Liz.

"Jason, let them stitch you up, ok?" asked Courtney.

"Stay with me?" he asked her and she smiled at how much he seemed like a little boy in that moment.

"Of course" she told him as she held tightly to the hand on his good arm as the doctors began the stitches.

Although they wanted to keep Jason overnight for observation, he absolutely refused to. He needed to get home to be with his wife and see his daughter. Meg was staying with Carly and Sonny while Courtney was at the hospital, and Jason knew she must be upset. It wasn't as though she knew what was going on, but she knew that her mommy had become hysterical and her daddy wasn't around. They were both desperate to go back to her and explain that they were all ok. But they weren't all ok. The shooting had shaken the Morgan's to the core. There hadn't been violence in years, and all the sudden, it was beginning again. Jason knew that he and Courtney would be having a conversation that night that neither wanted.

* * *

Courtney was quiet the whole ride home, and the only time she ever took her eyes off the road was to shoot a look at Jason in the passenger seat and make sure he hadn't passed out. 

"It's going to be ok" he told her.

"We don't know that" she said softly.

"I'll make it ok" he assured her.

"At what cost?" she asked as she pulled into Sonny's graystone.

Courtney got out of the car and went to help Jason, but as usual, he was stubborn and brushed off her help.

"How does your arm feel?" she asked him as she touched it tenderly.

"It's fine. They gave me so much medication it's amazing that I can even feel my legs when I'm standing up" he told her as he took her hand.

"Oh my god Jason, I was so worried!" cried Carly as she projected herself into Jason's arms once she opened the door.

"Ah, Carly" winced Jason as she threw her weight on his arm.

"Car, Jason was shot in the _arm_ tonight" said Courtney, emphasizing the word arm.

"Right, sorry Jase" said Carly as she quickly pulled away.

"Daddy, Mommy!" came the little voice as two tiny feet scampered over to Courtney and Jason.

Meg threw her arms around both their legs and Jason bent down and scooped her up with his uninjured arm. He hugged her tightly as though he would never let her go, loosening his grip only when she giggled and said "Daddy, you're squeezing my insides"

"Sorry babe" he told her as he adjusted her in his arms so that he was looking at her.

"Are you ok Daddy?" she asked. "Mommy looked upset before" she said as she reached out one of her hands for Courtney who took the little hand in her own.

"Daddy got a boo-boo tonight, see that bandage" said Courtney as she pointed at his arm.

Meg frowned and then bent down and kissed his arm where the bandage was.

"All better!" she said with a smile.

"Yes, it is all better now" he told her as she yawned and leaned into his chest.

"We better get her home. Thanks for watching her" Courtney said to Carly who waved it off, saying it was no problem.

* * *

Courtney lifted Meg out of the car and put her right into bed, glad that she was already in pajamas. After all, Courtney had to wake her up just to bring her over to Carly's before. Courtney went into the master bedroom and began to get ready for bed herself, brushing her teeth and slipping out of her clothes and into a pair of Jason's boxers and a tank top. Jason was already in bed, stripped down to his boxers, and just watching her, trying to gather his thoughts. Courtney climbed into bed and turned off all of the lights except for the lamp on her nightstand. She lied down and propped herself up one elbow so that she was facing him. 

"Tonight shouldn't have happened" she told him as she seethed with anger, not at him, but the people who had hurt him.

"I know" he agreed, the same anger in his eyes.

"It's been years Jason; years" she said in a frustrated tone. "There has been nothing. No shootouts, no explosions, no arrests even. And then all the sudden, the warehouse just gets shot up, late at night, when no one was supposed to even be there"

"They were aiming for me, and only me. They didn't want to take out a lot of people. Only me" he told her.

"Is that supposed to comfort me?" she asked him in disbelief.

"No, that's the truth. I'm trying to tell you the truth Courtney"

"So what does this mean? Is a mob war going to break out? Are you going to have to send me and Meg down to the island, right in time for Meg to miss her first day of school ever?"

"I don't know Courtney. I don't even know if this was mob related or personal"

"Jason, how personal can it get? Anything that's personal is mob related" she informed him.

"I know" he said quietly, unable to meet her eye. "Courtney, I can't keep you and Meg in danger"

"And sending us away is not going to keep us safe! It's going to just prove to make things worse. I'm going to be miserable, and Meg especially is going to be miserable. We talked about this Jason, we want to give her a normal life, remember"

"Damn it Courtney, how can I forget?" he asked her. "It broke my heart tonight when Meg was worried about my 'boo-boo'. When she tried to kiss it to make it feel better! That killed me. 'Cause what if it was bigger than needing just a kiss to make me all better. What if I had died tonight?"

"I don't even want to think about that" said Courtney as she pulled back into the shadows so Jason couldn't see the tears running down her face.

"Well, we have to" he said almost harshly. "I can't leave you and Meg alone and unprotected. I can't die now. I have too much to live for, too much to protect"

"So where does that leave us Jason? What position does that put us in? We've exhausted all of our options"

"No, we haven't" said Jason.

"What, you can think of something else?" she asked as she moved her face back into the light.

Jason looked up and saw her tears, and it broke his heart. Reaching up, he wiped them away with the pad of his thumb and swallowed hard before he told her what he needed to do.

"I need to leave" he told her.

"What?" she asked him in shock and disbelief.

"Shh!" he said softly. "You're going to wake up Meg"

"Jason, you can't leave! How is that going to keep us safe! How are we going to stay protected against any danger if you're not here to play protector?"

"If I leave, you won't be in any danger. I was the target tonight Courtney, not Sonny, not our men. Not even our warehouse or the shipment. The shooter wanted me dead, no one else. If I leave, they'll follow me. They won't hurt you or Meg.

"You can't spend your life running away" she told him.

"Do you think I want to?" he asked her. "Do you think I want to spend lonely nights in seedy motel rooms, being plagued by nightmares about the family that I left behind? You think my idea of fun is waking up in a cold sweat? But I can't keep putting you or our daughter in danger."

"Jason, you've tried this before, remember? When we lost Meg as a baby, and you told me that I should divorce you so that I could get custody! It was a dumb idea then, and it's a still a dumb idea now!"

"What else am I supposed to do Courtney? How can I stay here and knowingly sacrifice the lives of my family?"

"You can't just leave Jason! Please don't leave me!" she begged as she started to sob, her whole body shaking.

"I am so sorry baby, come here" he told her as he pulled her close to him and let her cry into his bare chest. "I love you, and I don't want to leave you. But I couldn't stand to bury you or Meg either"

"We're not going to die Jason. None of us are" she said as she pulled away slightly from his embrace so that she could caress his cheek.

He closed his eyes as he felt her touch, sighing in contentment.

"I don't think I'm strong enough to leave" he told her truthfully.

"So don't" she said as she lightly kissed his lips.

"I have to"

"No you don't" she begged.

"Wait, Courtney, I have an idea" he said, suddenly excited.

"What, what is it?" she asked him.

"What if I moved out but stayed in Port Charles? I could move into our old penthouse. This way, I won't be with you all the time so you won't be a target. Plus, I'll still be close enough to see you whenever. And Meg. I could even be here for her first day of kindergarten"

"Why don't you just stay here? How is the penthouse going to be any safer?" she asked him.

"Because, I won't be living here. When someone comes to shoot up my home, you and Meg won't be inside"

"I don't know if I like this" said Courtney.

"I don't like it either. But it's better than me going on the run and being completely away from you. We can still see each other all the time, and talk to each other every night on the phone."

"Do I even have a say in the matter?" she asked him.

"Of course. But Courtney, think about Meg. You may be willing to sacrifice your own life, but are you ready to put Meg in the line of fire? Are you ready for a stray bullet to hit her?"

"No! Of course not!" cried Courtney. "I just can't imagine going to bed at night and not having you next to me"

"I know, I can't imagine it either" said Jason as he held her tight. "So, looks like we better make tonight count"

"You're moving out tomorrow?"

"I have to Courtney. The sooner the better"

"I love you so much Jason" she told him as she lied down.

"I love you so much too" he said as he lied down next to her.

She promptly snuggled up next to him so that her head was lying on his chest. She couldn't control her tears anymore.

"Don't cry baby" he told her as he felt her tears on his chest.

"I just can't help but think of tomorrow night. Tomorrow night you're going to be across town"

"Just focus on now. Focus on tonight"

* * *

A/N: Don't hate me yet. It gets soooo much worse. You guys are going to think I've had my identity stolen by a JaSam fan. 


	3. Moving Out

A/N: Hola! So, here is the next update of my beautiful story. Some people "forgot" to review. Don't let it happen again peeps! Although, I know why. So I would like to take a moment to clarify. I just meant things will get bad for Journey. I am not bringing Sam into this story, nor will I ever. I repeat, **THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO SAM IN THIS STORY. **Sorry for the confusion, I hope you all still love me. And Happy New Year!

Seth Cohen's girlfriend- Stupid good for nothing doctors. They really don't know anything!

Samantha- They need to not live together so that they don't seem like leverage to his enemies for kidnappings, shootings, etc. I know, it's terrible, but I'm a terrible person.

kaleymc- Aww, I am so sorry about your keyboard. That was a funny review though, lol.

Tania- Journey's still together. They just need to live apart. But I know, it's heartbreaking.

sexyt- I know, I know. The chivalry thing is a bit annoying, lol.

anon14- Yeah, I guess we do have to forgive him. Sigh.

luvthemorgans- I have no idea what you said for the first half of that review. But what else is new. And Bre, my mentally challenged little friend, they were going to sedate him because he wasn't cooperating and being annoying. Just like someone else I know…hmm, who could that be? J/K, I heart you!

middiegurl08- This is where I insert an evil little laugh and rub my hands together. Yes, things are going to get crappy.

LoLogirl28- He's just so stubborn when it comes to protecting his family. I'm glad you like it though!

ButterflyzDreamz- Things will get bad. But I'll fix them. Eventually. Maybe.

ImJustKidding89- I know you. You really do want an update. This chapter's not that bad, I promise.

jennifer..courtneylovejason- I'm glad you got to reread it. Yeah, I ended up not changing anything. Glad you liked it!

Starlet- Keep reading. Remember, things have to get really bad before they can get better.

emmalee05- Read what I wrote to Samantha, she had the same concerns as you. And you and I both know that you really are an angst junkie, just like you said, lol.

* * *

**Chapter 3- Moving Out**

Jason silently watched as Courtney took all of his clothes and refolded them. She claimed that he hadn't done it neat enough, but he knew that she was just stalling. They were sitting in their old bedroom at the penthouse, unpacking all of the things he had packed from their house. He wanted to say something to her, something to comfort her, but his mind drew a blank. He couldn't think of a thing. Luckily, Meg ran in that point, saving him from trying to break the silence.

"Daddy! I can't reach the mantle!" she said, a big smile on her face.

"Alright, I'm coming" he said as he grabbed her up in his arms and walked down the stairs with her, throwing one last meaningful look in Courtney's direction.

Meg had been arranging pictures all throughout the penthouse for him. It was her 'job' in helping him to get settled in. She had put her favorite family pictures everywhere, and the last place she needed to get was the mantle above the fireplace. Meg grabbed a handful of framed pictures and Jason held her up as she arranged the pictures. She managed to fit all but one on.

"Alright, I think we have enough pictures" said Jason as he put her down.

Meg looked at him with her big blue eyes widening as she bit her lip before bursting into tears.

"Meggie, what is it?" he asked her as he grabbed her up and held her tightly to him.

"If I don't put up this picture, you're gonna forget about me" she said. "And mommy" she added.

Jason almost broke down into tears right there.

"Meg, I will never forget about you or mommy. I love you both. And I am going to see you a lot. Just because I don't live at the house anymore doesn't mean that I don't love you and mommy or that I'm not going to keep seeing my girls all the time" Jason explained. "Remember what Mommy and I told you this morning?" he asked.

_Flashback_

_Meg sat on the couch, looking expectantly up at her parents, her thumb flying into her mouth out of habit. Jason leaned over and gently pulled it from her mouth, brushing back one of her blonde curls as he did._

"_Meg, we have something important to tell you" said Jason, breaking the silence._

_Meg looked up at them with fearful eyes and they both knew that she was expecting the worst from them. And they both hated that her expectations would come true._

"_Remember how daddy got the boo-boo last night?" asked Courtney, and Meg nodded. "Well, some bad men were the ones who gave him that boo-boo. So, to keep us all safe from any more boo-boos, daddy's going to live away from us for a while" explained Courtney._

"_What do you mean?" asked Meg as she grabbed on to Jason's hand._

"_Remember where we used to live? The penthouse? I'm going to move in to there for a while. But I promise you, I am going to come and visit you and mommy all the time"_

"_A kid in my pre-k class's mommy and daddy lived apart. He said they were fidorced"_

"_Fidorced?" asked Jason confusedly._

"_Sweetie, do you mean _divorced_?" asked Courtney, swallowing hard as she said it._

"_Yeah! That's the word. What does that mean?" asked Meg._

"_When a mommy and daddy decide they don't love each other as much as they used to, they decide to get a divorce. It means that they're not married anymore, but they are still a mommy and daddy. But don't worry sweetpea, mommy and I are not getting divorced. We still love each other very much. And I want to stay here with you and her, and she wants me too as well, but I can't" said Jason._

"_Why not? I don't want you to live far away. What if I have a nightmare?" asked Meg as she started to cry._

"_Mommy will be here, she can help you if you have a nightmare. And you and she can always call me up on the phone. And I promise to come and visit all the time. And I can still take you to the park, and the zoo, and everything"_

"_And kindergarten?" _

"_And kindergarten"_

"_I don't want you to go daddy" said Meg tearfully and Jason picked her up and put her on his lap, hugging her tight._

_He held out one of his arms and Courtney snuggled into his embrace as she and Meg cried. Jason tried his best to keep it together because he knew that his family needed him. But it hurt. It hurt like hell._

_End Flashback_

Jason had finally gotten Meg's tears to subside. And he had finally convinced Courtney that his clothes were neatly folded, his refrigerator was stocked, and bed was made as smoothly as humanly possible. It wasn't as though he wanted them to go, but he knew that if they didn't leave now, he would never be able to let them go.

"Make sure to separate your laundry piles, ok? And let me know when they start to build up and I'll come over and take care of it. Don't try it yourself" she warned.

"I know baby, I know" he told her with a bittersweet smile.

"And remember daddy, more important than laundry, is my first day of kindergarten. It's September one, remember that! September one!"

"September first sweetie. And yes, don't worry. I will be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world" he promised her as he picked her up and kissed and hugged her goodbye. "Be good for mommy. She may be sad for a while. So it's your job to cheer her up, ok?" asked Jason.

"Ok, I love you daddy" said Meg.

"I love you too sweetpea" Jason told her before kissing her once more and putting her down. "Come here you" he said, holding his arms out for his wife.

Courtney sighed and looked down before going over to him and hugging him fiercely.

"It'll be ok" he whispered in her ear.

"It doesn't feel like it" she whispered back.

He pulled back a little and kissed her before hugging her again.

"You should go" he told her.

"I can't" she said, clinging to him.

"You have to. Come on, hold it together for Meg's sake" he whispered softly.

"I can't. I need you" she said as she clung tighter to him.

He tried to gently pry her off of him, but she just held on tighter.

"Courtney, come on. You're going to upset Meg"

"Please don't make me leave Jason" she begged.

Finally, he was able to unclench her tight grip on his shirt. She tried to cling back to him but he backed away to stop her.

"If you won't do it for Meg, do it for me. I'm dying here Courtney, I can't stand this. Please don't make it any harder on me" he said in a thick voice.

"Alright" she finally said, looking up at him with big, wet blue eyes.

"I love you" he said as a tear ran down his cheek. "I love you both"

"I love you too" said Courtney as her tears started again.

"And me!" cried Meg as Courtney took her hand and led her to the elevator.

Jason watched them disappear before shutting his door, sitting down on the couch, and crying out his lonely heart.

* * *

Getting Meg to go to sleep that night was one of the hardest things Courtney had ever done. She was moody, and upset, and she wanted Jason. Not to mention, there was a storm brewing, and both she and Simba were jumpy and afraid. 

Courtney finally finished up everything she needed to do and climbed into bed herself. Turning off all the lights short of the beside lamp, she slowly picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"I was waiting for your call" came the voice as soon as the call connected.

"And I couldn't wait to call you" she told her husband.

"I miss you" he said, and she knew that he had that sad look on his face that pained her.

"I miss you too" she said, gripping the phone harder.

"Was Meg impossible to get into bed tonight?" asked Jason.

"I was thinking about just letting her stay up until she fell asleep. It was so difficult to get her to just stay in her room"

"I'm sorry. I should have come over to help you put her to bed. I just don't want my enemies thinking I still live there. As much as I wanted to, I needed to stay away"

"I know" said Courtney. "This plan would be in vain if you spent all your time over here anyway"

"It doesn't make it hurt any less" he said in a soft voice.

"For me either" she said, biting back her tears.

All the sudden, a particularly loud roll of thunder was heard, followed by an extremely bright flash of lightening.

Courtney and Jason both smiled and began counting down from five together. Just as they both hit one, Meg ran into Courtney's room, a frightened look on her face, and jumped onto the bed, snuggling into Courtney's arms.

"We have a visitor" said Courtney.

"I figured as much" said Jason with a smile.

Courtney leaned over and put the phone on speakerphone.

"You're on babe" she told him.

"Hey sweetpea, is the storm scaring you?"

"Daddy!" cried Meg, glad to hear his voice. "You need to come home. What if the loud monsters get me? And the bright ones?" she asked.

"Mommy will protect you from the monsters, remember?" Jason asked.

"But who's going to protect mommy? You need to protect us both. That's your job" said Meg.

"Daddy is protecting us sweetie. And besides, I can protect you from any monsters! We don't just need daddy! It's just us girls"

"And Simba" pointed out Meg.

"And Simba" Courtney agreed.

At that moment, there was another loud crack and flash. Again, there was the countdown from five, and Simba ran into the room, whimpering and throwing himself on to the bed, just as Meg had done. Of course, Simba couldn't get on the bed so Courtney had to help him up as Meg giggled. Jason smiled just at hearing the sounds of his family.

"Daddy, Simba's scared too" said Meg, her thumb in her mouth.

"Simba can't be scared. We had a good long talk" said Jason.

_Flashback_

"_Alright Simba, come sit. We need to talk" said Jason as he picked the puppy up and put him on the couch next to him. "It's your job to protect your family now"_

"_Oh god, not this again" said Courtney as she rolled her eyes._

"_What are you talking about?" he asked her._

"_I vaguely remember you having a similar discussion with Rosie"_

"_She did a half decent job of protecting you" argued Jason._

"_Sure, whatever you say" said Courtney as she rolled her eyes. "You know, I like it better when you protect me"_

"_I know, me too. But we need to work with what we have. Right Simba?" asked Jason as he swallowed his tears. "Alright, so you are now the man of the house. You need to protect mommy and Meg. That's your job. Can you do that?" he asked the dog._

_Simba barked and jumped off the couch. He started running and smacked right into the glass door leading to the backyard in his attempts to get a squirrel that was sitting outside. Both Courtney and Jason cringed as he smacked into it._

"_Alright, so he's not the smartest dog…" said Jason._

"…_but we love him just the same" added Courtney._

_End Flashback_

"It wasn't your most effective talk Jase" said Courtney.

"I feel like he was focusing on the squirrel, not me" he said.

"Me too" said Courtney.

"And me" added Meg.

"Do you even know what we're talking about Meg?" asked Jason.

"No, but I want to be part of this" said the little girl.

"Don't worry, you are part of this" said Courtney as she hugged her.

"Daddy, do you have a nightlight in your room? I don't want you to be afraid" said Meg, changing the gears of the conversation.

"Don't worry sweetpea" he told her, smiling at how much she cared about him.

"You can borrow my piggy nightlight if you need" she said.

"Aww, thank you sweetheart. But you keep that for now. I'll be fine here"

"But there's no one in your bed to help you be not afraid of the storm" she said sadly.

"I wish I could have you, and Mommy, and even Simba in my bed right now, but I have Roary at least" said Jason.

"I guess" said Meg.

Roary was Meg's favorite stuffed animal. He was a lion with a soft plush body and a tickly mane. Meg had insisted that Jason have it in the penthouse with him. Now, he was glad that she had. He hugged it tightly to him, thinking of his wife and daughter.

"We all better get some sleep" said Courtney softly.

"Alright" agreed Meg. "But daddy, don't forget about my first day of kindergarten!" she said.

"I promise you I won't forget. I will be there" said Jason.

"Alright, 'cause this is the biggest day of my life" she said dramatically.

"Don't worry sweetpea" he told her. "Now go to sleep. I love you" he said.

"I love you too daddy" she said.

"And I love you too baby" said Jason to Courtney.

"And I love you" said Courtney back.

"And we all love Simba, and he loves all of us" said Meg, matter-of-factually.

"Of course we do" agreed Courtney.

"Goodnight" said Jason softly. "Sweet dreams"

"Goodnight" said Courtney just as softly as Meg yelled "night night Daddy!"

The three hung up and lied down to go to sleep. Courtney held Meg tightly in her arms, trying unsuccessfully not to cry. And Jason hugged Roary, the sadness and loneliness he was feeling overtaking him.

* * *

A/N: Aww, everyone feel all bad for Jase now. Alright, now tell him that's what he gets for being with Sam on the show. I probably shouldn't say "Sam" in my author's notes anymore because that's what gets me in trouble. So, remember, this is **JOURNEY THROUGH AND THROUGH. EVEN IF IT SEEMS BAD AT TIMES, IT'S JOURNEY!**


	4. First Day

A/N: I have some bad news. As I'm sure you all know it's been over a month since I last updated any story, and lately, I haven't been reading or reviewing other stories. The truth is I have completely given up on GH. The show bores me now and I haven't watched it in weeks. Not only that, but I just don't have the time between the SATS, Drivers Ed, and all of my APs. So, this is the end for me. I'm done with the show, and I'm done with fan fiction. Don't get me wrong, nearly all the stories I've read are fantastic, but I'm just not invested in the characters anymore. I'm going around and finishing all the necessary posting, and then that's it. I'm retiring so to speak. I didn't finish this story, but I used my outline to write summaries of the rest of the chapters that I didn't finish (nine and up I think) so you still get to see what happens.

Thanks to everyone for their support over the months, I really appreciate it. So, I hope you all enjoy the end of _Staying Together While Falling Apart_.

P.S- On a happier note, the name "Jessica" that I use here is in honor of middiegurl08, I promised her after nixing her name on_ Tangled Secrets_ for the Journey baby.

* * *

**Chapter 4- First Day**

"Meg, he will be here. It is still really, really early" said Courtney tiredly.

"Mommy, its 7:30 already!"

"I know, please don't remind me" said Courtney as she took a long sip of her coffee.

Meg's little smile grew wider as she moved from her place by the window and turned to Courtney.

"Mommy! He's here!" she cried as she attempted to open the door herself.

"Hey, you know you are not allowed to open the door" said Courtney as she turned off the alarm and undid the locks before opening it for Jason.

"What are you doing awake?" he asked her in confusion. "I thought you never woke up before 8"

"I was up at 6:15 this morning. Meg's a little excited"

"I can tell" he said as he glanced over at his daughter who was literally bouncing. "Good morning by the way" he said as he leaned over and kissed her.

"Good morning" said Courtney back as Meg hugged Jason's leg and told him good morning as well. "So, if you didn't expect me to be awake, why are you here so early?"

"I was hoping to slip into bed with you for a half an hour" whispered Jason in her ear. "Get some me and you time"

"Jason!" she scolded as she turned red.

"I just meant I wanted to hold you in my arms. I miss that"

"I miss that too" she said. "But that would never have worked. You would have set off the alarm, effectively waking us all up"

"So, I didn't think it through. I'm a lonely desperate man. Lonely desperate men don't need to think" he said.  
"I am sorry that you are so lonely" she said. "Maybe I can make you less lonely, say around lunch time" she said, whispering that part in his ear.

"Ooo, I like the sound of that" he growled, causing her to laugh.

"Mommy! My hair! We need to braid my hair!" yelled Meg as she interrupted their moment.

"Sweetie, we have an hour and a half before we even need to think about leaving the house. Don't worry" Courtney soothed.

"Don't worry? Mommy, are you crazy?" asked Meg as she ran off to get her hairbrush.

"I have never seen her so alert at this hour before"

"Me neither. And I think I like sleepy Meg better" said Courtney as Jason laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

"Here it is. My school" said Meg excitedly as she clung to both Jason and Courtney's hands. The three stared up at the school. Courtney and Jason couldn't believe she was in kindergarten already, and Meg was just plain nervous.

"Come on sweetie, let's find your room" Jason told her as they walked in.

They quickly found room 12, Ms. Veronica Hartman's classroom. As they walked in, they saw Liz and Lucky holding a very nervous looking Cameron's hands.

"Lizzy and Lucky!" she cried as she ran over to them.

Meg knew all the key players in her town. And after Lucky had helped them out with the custody battle, they had become closer to him and Liz.

"Hey Cam!" she said excitedly.

The little boy just shyly hid behind Lucky's legs.

"Come on Cam, you know Meg. You always play with her" encouraged Liz.

"Hey Cameron" said Courtney to the little boy, as Jason greeted him as well.

"Cameron's having separation issues" whispered Liz to them.

"Ohhhh" said Courtney as it all made sense.

"It doesn't even matter that he's been in daycare and preschool, the whole idea of kindergarten just does not appeal to him" said Lucky.

"I have a feeling Meg's going to get him to open up" said Jason as Meg took Cam by the hand and pulled him over to play with her.

"Yeah, Meg is certainly outgoing" said Courtney with a laugh.

Finally, Ms. Hartman clapped her hands and got everyone's attention.

"Welcome parents, children, everyone. It is so great to see all these smiling faces in my classroom. This is going to be a fun year of learning, and playing, and getting to know one another. Parents, it's time to say goodbye to your little dumplings" she said, a big smile plastered on her face.

"Oh no, not my darling little _dumpling_" whispered Liz to Courtney who had to put a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing out loud.

Once the kids were said goodbye to and Cameron had been pried off of Liz's leg, the parents left.

"Liz, you need a ride to the hospital? I'm going there anyway, I've got a meeting" said Courtney.

"Yeah, Lucky was going to take me before he went to work, but this is much easier. Thanks" she said.

"Yeah, no problem. Especially now that our little dumplings are in the same class"

"Alright, so I wasn't the only one who thought that was a little weird?" asked Jason.

"No, definitely not. And how old was she anyway? She looked like she was 12" said Lucky.

"She's probably 22 or something. But I doubt that perky smile is going to stay on her face all day long" said Courtney.

"By the first bathroom accident, she's going to be in tears" laughed Liz as they all got into their cars after goodbyes.

* * *

"Camie, why are you crying?" asked Meg as the two colored.

"I miss my mommy and daddy" said Cam tearfully.

Meg knew that whenever someone was sad, a hug usually made them feel better. So she did just that. Cam hugged her back and continued to cry.

"We'll see our mommies and daddies soon" explained Meg. "But for now, we're in kindergarten"

"I still don't get what kindergarten is" grumbled Cameron.

"My cousins Mikey and Morgan es'plained it to me. Morgan's eight, and Mikey's fifteen"

"Wow, they're old"

"Tell me about it. They told me that you color pictures, and play toys, and sing songs. And there's a nice lady who helps you with whatever you need"

"I used to do that at mommy's work babysitting thing" said Cameron. "Except the nice lady wasn't so smiley. Do you think her face got stuck?" asked Cameron as they looked at Ms. Hartman.

"Nah, I think she's 'apposed to do that" explained Meg.

* * *

"Did our men find anything?" Jason asked Sonny as the older man stepped into Jason's office.

"Nope, nothing. I've still got some men doing some questioning, but basically, the identity of the shooter is still a mystery"

Jason sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"I just wanna get back to my family. And I can't do that until we figure out who exactly is terrorizing us" said Jason.

"I know man, I know it's hard. I've been in your position before, and it sucks"

"It's just so hard, you know. To go to sleep without Courtney in my arms, without Meg in the room next door. I haven't gotten a good nights sleep since I moved out. And I miss Courtney's cooking. Every meal I've eaten has either been from Kelly's, a can, or a box. I went over there a few times for dinner, and she's come over and done my laundry, but it just isn't the same"

"You've come to depend on her"

"Exactly. The penthouse just feels so empty and dirty without her there. I need her to make it feel like home, and the only way she could do that would be by living there. But that's not an option, and I know its not. Hell, it was my idea to move out, so I really can't complain…"  
"You did it to protect her Jason. It wasn't just for a little more personal space or anything"

"There was nothing for so long. No violence, no threats. And now all the sudden, it just starts again. And I hate it. I hate being away from them"

* * *

"Let's play house" said Jessica, a little girl in Meg and Cam's class.

"I wanna be the mommy!" cried Meg.

"I wanna be the daughter!" cried Jessica as all the other people claimed family positions.

"Cam, you be the daddy" instructed Meg as she smiled at him before taking his hand.  
"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"I'm your wife. And you're my husband. We're playing house" said Meg.

"Oh, ok" agreed Cameron as he smiled at her before everyone pulled costumes out of the dress up bin that fit their roles.

Meg and Cameron finally dropped hands as they put on their dress up props, both still smiling at each other.

* * *

Courtney sat outside of the hospital as she bit her lip. It was unusually hot for September, but she was still cold. She hated that she had to do this. Dialing Jason's cell phone number, she waited anxiously for him to pick up.

"That's Courtney" said Jason as he glanced at the caller ID.

"I'll be outside" said Sonny as he left Jason's office.

"Hey baby" said Jason as he picked up the phone.

"Hey" she said sadly.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Jase, I am so so so sorry, but I need to cancel lunch today"

"What? Why?" he asked, suddenly feeling sad again.

"The meeting I had for this morning changed it to lunch time. And I can't just blow him off, 'cause this guy is going to donate a lot of money to the foundation"

"Courtneyyyy" Jason said in the closest thing to a whine he would ever utter. "Whatever he's giving to the foundation, I'll give double. Just come get lunch with _me_" begged Jason.

"Sweetie, I am so sorry. Look, can you pick Meg up from school also?"

"We were both supposed to do that. Together" said Jason.

"I know. But these meetings usually take so long. I probably won't be done in time"

"Fine" he said tensely.

"Thank you baby, so so so much. I promise you that I will make it up to you, ok?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really" she answered.

"Fine, I'll see you later" said Jason as he hung up the phone.

"I love you" said Courtney, but he had already hung up.

* * *

"Mr. Parker?" asked Courtney as she walked into the PC Grille and saw an attractive man waiting for her.

"Mrs. Morgan?" he asked in a heavy British accent, standing up and extending his hand.

Courtney took his hand, thinking he was going to shake it. Instead, he lifted it to his lips and gently kissed it.

"Please, it's Courtney" she said, blushing.

"Alright, than its Joshua" he said.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you Joshua" she said, taking her time as she said his name.

"And it's a pleasure to meet _you _Courtney" said Joshua as he took her hand and led her to their table.

* * *

"What time is it?" asked Jason, suddenly in a panic.

"Three fifteen" said Max as he looked at his watch.

"Shit, I was supposed to pick Meg up fifteen minutes ago!" cried Jason as he abandoned the books he was working on, grabbed his keys, and ran out, leaving a puzzled Max.

"Daddy! I thought you and Mommy forgot me!" cried Meg as Jason ran into her classroom.

"No Meg, never" said Jason as he swooped her into his arms and hugged and kissed her.

"Where's Mommy?" asked Meg

"She had a meeting. So I said I would pick you up" explained Jason.

"See Meg, I told you they didn't forget you. It was all just a misunderstanding" explained Ms. Hartman.

"I'm Jason Morgan by the way" said Jason, extending his hand to her.

"Veronica Hartman" said Veronica as she shook his hand and gave him that smile. I'm sorry, I can't smile anymore" she said relaxing her face.

"Its ok" said Jason with a laugh. "I know for a fact that kindergartners can be a handful"

"Who knew putting 17 of them in a room could be so tiring" she said as she flopped down into a chair.

"I know that Meg especially can be a handful" said Jason, looking at his daughter in his arms.

"No, she was fine" said Veronica. "She's such a good, sweet girl. Some of the others though are absolutely crazy!"

"Yeah, tell me about it. I have two nephews who were all over the place when they were Meg's age"

"Boys are definitely worse than girls. They like to hit. But that little boy, Cameron, he seemed sweet. He and Meg really seemed to get along" said Veronica.

"Yeah, they've known each other for a while. He's always been good" explained Jason.

"At least there are a handful of well behaved children in the class" she said softly, looking up into Jason's blue eyes and biting her lip.

"Daddy, I'm hungry" cried Meg, tugging on his jacket, breaking their stare.

"Alright babe, let's go home and get you something to eat" said Jason as he put her down.

"It was nice to meet you Mr. Morgan" said Veronica as she stood up.

"Please, it's Jason. And it was nice to meet you too Ms. Hartman" said Jason.

"Please, it's Veronica" she said with a smile. "Bye Meg, see you tomorrow" she said, bending down to say goodbye and giving Jason a decent view of her cleavage.

Jason turned his head away and then took Meg's hand. Meg waved goodbye and the two walked out.

"Damn, I love the cute dads" mumbled Veronica she pulled off her heels and tossed them into the corner of the room before sitting down again and sighing.

Teaching kindergarten was a hell of a lot harder than it looked.


	5. Too Far

**Chapter Five- Too Far**

It had been a month since Meg's first day of kindergarten and she was settling into it rather nicely. She loved school and she made lot of friends. The only problem was that her daddy was still living in the penthouse. Jason was no closer to finding out where the threats were coming from. Courtney tried to convince him that it was a one time thing, and that they were safe again. But Jason wasn't so sure. He had a feeling that whoever it is was just biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And unfortunately, Jason was right.

* * *

Jason was tired when he woke up that day. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. He was getting used to sleeping without Courtney, but it didn't make it much more bearable. But that night, he had been up, thinking about her and everything. She had been trying to convince him that it was time for him to move back home. She had been trying for a while, but yesterday was the worst. She had broken down crying, literally begging for him to move back in. His heart had broken when he saw her like that, and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. As he tried to fall asleep that night, all he could hear in his head were his wife's tears. All that echoed in his mind was the sight of her crumbling and begging. Jason was almost ready to give in to her. Within the whole month, nothing had gone wrong. Jason wasn't sure if they really would attack them again.

He went to the kitchen and started the coffee pot, inhaling the aroma of the coffee as it began to brew. He needed the caffeine, badly. Once enough was in the pot, he pulled it off and poured himself a cup before putting the pot back and watching it finish filling up. Still in his pajamas, he went to the penthouse door and opened it up. Sitting in front of the door was his usual morning paper. He picked it up and put it on the table. Setting the coffee cup down, he opened it up and a piece of paper fell out. Frowning, Jason picked it up and unfolded it, paling at what he read. It simply said: "Don't think for a second that anyone's safe".

Jumping up, Jason grabbed the phone and quickly dialed the house.

"Damn it, pick up Courtney" he mumbled when the phone continued to ring.

Finally, she picked it up and gave him a groggy hello.

"Jase? What time is it?" she asked.

"Are you ok?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"How 'bout Meg?"

"She's fine, she's asleep"

"Are you sure? Can you go check?"

"Jase, what's this about?" asked Courtney fearfully.

"Just check Courtney, please check"

"Hold on" he heard her say as the phone clicked.

He impatiently waited, his hands actually shaking from fear.

"Jase, she's fine" said Courtney as she came back on the line.

'Thank god" he said, closing his eyes in relief. "Make sure the alarm's on and all the doors and windows are locked. I'm going to be right over. Don't answer the door for anyone but me"

"Alright, whatever you say" she said, and he could tell that she sounded scared.

"I love you" he said in a thick voice.

"I love you too" she said softly before they hung up.

* * *

The second Jason hit the last step leading up the door, it was flung open and Courtney was there, a worried look on her face. Jason immediately enveloped her in a huge hug, holding her closely to him.

"What happened?" she asked when they pulled away and walked into the kitchen.

"I found this in my morning paper" he said passing her the note.

She read it, her face expressionless. She finally looked up and burst out laughing. But it wasn't her usual laugh. It was a bitter, angry laugh.

"God, I knew that this was going to happen. So naturally, this letter means you need to stay farther away from us, and keep living in the penthouse"

"Courtney, what do you want from me?" he asked defensively. "It's not as though I like living alone"

"I don't even care about the stupid living arrangements anymore" she snapped.

"Ouch" he said, a hurt look on his face as he literally cringed away from her.

"The stupid living arrangements are the least of my worries" she said, continuing as though she didn't see the look on his face. "I am so sick of this"

"Of what?" he asked.

"I am so sick of the business. I am so sick of the danger, and the constant need for guards. I am so sick of all the other mothers on the PTA whispering about how I'm the mob princess, and our daughter is too! I'm sick of answering Meg's questions about when you're going to be home, or why she needs to have 'Uncle Max' with her everywhere she goes" she yelled.

"Come on Courtney! You know that I try my hardest not to let it come down to something like this. You know that I am doing everything in my power to protect you and Meg!"  
"You know what Jason? I'm not just sick of all that, I'm sick of this. I'm sick of fighting over the same stupid things"

"So what, argument dropped, conversation ended. You got to tell me what you really think of everything, and then anything that I say is insignificant?"

"I didn't say that! Why are you putting words in my mouth?" she yelled.

"I'm not putting words in your mouth. _I'm _telling the _truth_! You're denying it! You wanna go back to your world of denial and disbelief, because that's where you're most comfortable. You want to believe that nothing is happening, and if anything is happening, it's all my fault!"  
"You have no idea what I want! But don't worry, I'm not in denial! I know just how dangerous your world is, believe me!"

"Do you love me?" he asked her, his voice suddenly soft.

"What?" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Do you love me?" he asked again.

"What, am I supposed to break out into a song from _Fiddler on the Roof_ now?" she asked bitterly.

"Just answer the question"

"Fine" she said uncrossing her arms and throwing them up in the air. "Of course I love you!"

"Do you really love me? All of me?" he asked in the same soft tone.

"Yes to both. I love all of you" she said softly.

"You must not. You must hate me. 'Cause you hate the business, and like it or not, the business is a part of me. So that's it, right, you hate me?" he asked her, knowing that he was getting a rise out of her, but not really caring.  
"God! You are so frustrating!" she yelled letting out a growl. "You're right, I hate the business. And I hate that you put me in such a difficult position all the time! And I hate that you are so desperate to get out of here guilt free that you are trying to turn my words on me!"

"Oh, I'm trying to get out guilt free?" he asked, raising his voice again. "I'm not the one who decided to walk away! Remember that? Remember Brian! And for someone who hates the business, you certainly get yourself pretty involved in it! Hey, remember the time you knocked me out?"

"I can not believe that you are bringing that up! We got past that! We moved on!"

"You are such a hypocrite Courtney! You claimed you were trying to protect me that day, yet here we are, me trying to protect you, and I'm being a bad husband!"

"I never said that!" she yelled.

"You know what? I don't care what you think anymore. I don't care what you're sick of. Because I am going to protect _my_ daughter! If you won't do it, I will! If you're too concerned with everything else to give a shit about her safety, that's fine! Go back to your foundation meetings and your lunches with Carly. But there is no way in hell that you are going to sacrifice _my _daughter's safety! I won't let you!"

Courtney hardly knew what she was doing as she reached up and slapped him, hard. He stood there, stunned, as he watched the tears spill down her cheeks.

"Don't you ever accuse me of not caring about _our_ daughter or her safety ever again! God Jason, you can be such an asshole sometimes! Bringing up the past and all my mistakes! What, you wanna start talking about how I'm some cheap piece of trash that you picked up at a strip club! Hmm, you wanna talk about how I used to take off my clothes for money and you had to play hero. Will that help you to show me that I'm not a fit mother!" she yelled, her whole body shaking and sobbing.

"No, no Courtney, I would never say that" he said softly, shaking himself. "I would never ever say that. You are not a piece of trash, and you're an amazing mother. Look, I'm sorry for what I said, I am. I was angry. Please, Courtney, come on" he said, the tears running down his face now too as he tried to touch her, but she pulled from his grasp.

"Yeah, well I don't give a shit how sorry you are! I'm just glad that you don't live here anymore! Because one of these day's you're going to get me and Meg killed! I don't wanna subject _my _daughter to that! I don't want her to lose her life because her daddy goes around killing people for a living!" she yelled so loud that the house was shaking.

"Courtney, come on! Why are you doing this? How did this get so blown out of proportion?" he asked as his tears continued to fall.

"Get out!" she yelled, pointing towards the area of the door.

"Courtney, come on. Let's talk about this" he begged.

"GET OUT!" she yelled again, this time louder.

"Please, Courtney, I love you" he begged again.

"OUT!"

"Courtney, please" he begged.

She literally pushed him out of the kitchen and he came face to face with Meg, sitting on the stairs.

"Daddy, why are you and mommy yelling?" she asked in a scared voice, her thumb in her mouth. "Why are you saying mean things to each other?"

"Sweetie, Mommy and Daddy just have some problems that they need to work out" explained Courtney, not letting Jason answer as she came out of the kitchen, trying to keep her voice calm for Meg's sake.

"But the problems don't matter. Because we love each other" said Jason in a choked voice.

"I think it's best if you go" said Courtney calmly as she got up and opened the door.

"Court, come on"

"Jason, I will tell you what I really think of you right now in front of Meg if you don't get out of here" she said through clenched teeth.

Knowing he was trapped, he slowly got up from where he was kneeled next to Meg and walked out the door, pausing in the doorway. Courtney and Jason looked into each other's eyes, ignoring the hurt look they both saw.

"I love you, and I'm sorry. I'm going to fix this between us Courtney, I am" he told her determinedly.

Courtney didn't say anything, but rather shut the door with him still in the frame, so the heavy door pushed him out.

Jason stared at the closed door for a moment before starting to sob. What had he done? Had he pushed her too far?

* * *


	6. The Beginning of the End?

**Chapter 6- The Beginning of the End?**

"Hey, can you come over? I need to talk to you" said Courtney as soon as Carly answered her phone.

"Ah, yeah, I'll be right there. Is everything ok?" asked Carly as she started to leave Kelly's and head to Courtney's house.

"No, not really. I just really need to talk to you"

"Alright, I'm heading over right now. Just tell me, is Meg ok? Is Jason hurt?"

"No, everyone's fine. Physically at least" said Courtney.

* * *

"I messed up" said Jason as he barged into Sonny's living room and immediately poured himself a drink.

"What happened?" asked Sonny, surprised to see Jason drinking hard alcohol, and so early in the day.

"Courtney and I got into a huge fight" said Jason in a pained voice as he sat down on the couch. "And I think I may have pushed her too far this time"

Sonny sighed and sat down on the couch next to Jason.

"I know that being apart like you two are is putting a strain on your marriage" said Sonny calmly.

"A strain?" asked Jason in disbelief. "That's putting it mildly"

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think" offered Sonny.

"You weren't there. You didn't hear the things I said to her. The things she said back to me. We criticized each others parenting skills, and then I threw the past in her face. Her problems with Brian. And I didn't say it, but I made her think back to the days that she had to strip to save AJ. I acted like the world's worst husband. And Meg heard everything. Sonny, it was terrible. She kicked me out and slammed the door on my face" said Jason as he took a swig of his drink before burying his face in his hands.

Sonny gave him a sympathetic back pat.

"You were both angry Jason. I'm sure she'll forgive you after she cools off a little. She loves you Jason. You two have had your ups and downs, but you've always had your love" said Sonny.

* * *

"What happened?" asked Carly as she walked into Courtney's house. "What's with all the extra guards?" she said as she glanced out the window at one of the many guards that were hidden on the property.

"Jason got a letter threatening me and Meg today" said Courtney as she led Carly into the kitchen.

"Where is Meg?" asked Carly.

"I sent her upstairs to play. She's heard enough today"

"What do you mean?" asked Carly.

"Jason and I got into a huge fight this morning. He came over because he was worried about us, and I just lost it on him. I'm just so sick of the danger, you know?"  
"Yeah, of course I know" said Carly. "I deal with the same thing. And Sonny and I have our fair share of fights about it"

"Bet you never fought like this. We both thought of the worst and most hurtful things we could say to each other and then let them out. And all that time, Meg was sitting on the stairs, listening" said Courtney.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. What exactly did you say to each other?"

* * *

"Sonny, she looked so hurt when I said those things, and when she pushed me out the door. And she's been so frustrated with me lately. She gets on the phone and she begs me to come home, and I brush her off. She's starting to doubt everything. She's starting to doubt us. And I can't say I blame her. We're moving in the wrong direction Sonny. Things are just going from bad to worse"

"What are you going to do?" asked Sonny.  
"I dunno" answered Jason. "Get down on my knees and beg I guess" he grumbled. "I'll do anything to show her how sorry I am"  
"So, go get her" said Sonny as he pulled Jason up and then pushed him towards the door.

"What about letting her cool off?" asked Jason.

"Show her that nothing she can do will push you away. Show her that you're going to fight for your family" said Sonny.

* * *

"Alright, so, you both said some pretty crappy things. It doesn't mean anything" said Carly.

"Yes, it does. Because every word that I said was truthful. I meant it all. I am so sick of the business, and the danger, and Jason being convinced that everything he does is to protect me. I want him to be my lover, my husband, and the father to my daughter. I don't want him to just be another guard"

"Courtney…"

"Carly, I think our relationship's been pushed past the point of no return. I know what I have to do" said Courtney quietly.

* * *

Jason knocked on Courtney's door an hour later, flowers in hand.

"Flowers are supposed to say I'm sorry, but I'll say it too. I am so sorry, and I wish I could take back everything I said" he said as soon as she opened the door.

"I'm glad you're here" she said softly. "Come in"

Jason was surprised that she was so receptive and calm, but he followed her into the living room.

"Should I put these in a vase?" he asked as he held up the flowers.

Courtney silently took the bouquet from him and put it down on the coffee table as she and Jason sat on opposite sides of the sofa.

"What's wrong?" he asked her. "Where's Meg?"

"She's out with Carly" answered Courtney in a sad, far away monotone voice.

"Courtney, what's wrong? Are you ok?" he asked her in a worried tone.

He tried to move closer to her, but she pulled back and continued to stare at him through dead, emotionless eyes.

"Jason, people say the things they truly feel when they're angry and fighting. The truth comes out. And let's face it; we both admitted our feelings about everything to each other today"

"No, Courtney, I didn't mean any of those terrible things I said to you today" he maintained."

"Yes you did Jason, and it's ok. You can't accuse someone of having the wrong feelings. We can't control other people's thoughts. And I can't control yours. But Jason, our thoughts used to have synchronicity. We used to be a unified front, a happy pair. A team in life. But lately, we don't even know each other. We don't even live on the same side of town"

"It's not as though we want it that way" said Jason. "It's for safety reasons"

"And it doesn't bother you that it's not safe enough for you to even share a bed with your wife?" she asked in a soft but pained voice.

"Yeah, it bothers me. But we're dealing with it. And we'll continue to deal with it. We just need to get past this. We need to get through it. And we're strong enough to Courtney. We are"

"Do you really believe that?" she asked as she got up off the couch and walked over to the window, her back to him as she stared out. "Jason, we're not dealing with anything together lately. We're just drifting apart" she said as she turned around again to face him.

"No. No, I don't believe that for a second" he told her. "We're us. We're Jason and Courtney, two people who will always love each other"

"I'm not doubting the love. I'm doubting the compatibility. We've both changed since we first got together. We're been through hell and back together. But I think, no I know, we may be cracking. Maybe we aren't strong enough Jason"

"NO! That's not true!" he cried as he ran to her and took her hands in his.

"Jason, I don't think this is working anymore. I don't think our marriage is working anymore"

"What, you just want to get divorced, just like that?" he asked in disbelief, his eyes tearing.  
"No, I don't want to divorce you Jason" she said quietly as she looked down at the ground. "But I think we should give a separation a try" she said as she looked back up at him.

He dropped her hands and backed away from her slowly in horror.

"No, Courtney, you're kidding me, right? I love you! I wanna be with you! You're my wife! We have a daughter together! We're happy!" he cried.

"Not anymore Jason" she said, her tears coming down slowly and softly as well. "We're always fighting and crying around each other. It shouldn't be so painful"

"So, we're hitting a rough spot. We can't just give up and head for the hills every time things get a little harder"

"Jason, things aren't a little harder. They're too hard. It's too hard to get past"

"I won't do it" he said stubbornly.

"Jason, we already live separately anyway. Now, we're just going to be legally taking a break. It's not the worst thing in the world"

"YES! YES IT IS!" he yelled. "I LOVE YOU! AND I WANT OUR MARRIAGE TO WORK" he yelled. "Please Courtney, give us a chance"

"Jason, I've given us plenty of chances. I can't take it anymore. I'm tired of it all! I am just so tired of dealing with everything. Please, don't fight this"

"My wife, and the only woman I will ever love wants to walk away from me and she's asking me not to fight it" he said in disbelief. "Did you even think about Meg?"

"Of course I did" she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at him. "I'm doing what's best for her too"

"What's best for her is having two parents, happy and in love"

"You're right Jason, that is what's best for her. But we seem to be lacking in the happy department lately. She deserves to see her parents happy, and not miserable"

"How do you expect me to not be miserable without you? What, you expect that once we're separated, we'll be all smiles and laughs. Cause I see it all the other way!"

"Jason, our marriage isn't healthy anymore. Our relationship has been squashed"

"So we can rebuild. That's what we'll do! We'll just fix it"

"We can't Jason" she said as her tears fell harder. We can't fix it anymore. It's beyond repair. I am so sorry. Really, I am. But this is best for us. We need to give it a try. We need to" she said.

"NO, I can't. I'll die without you Courtney" he begged. "I can't live without you"

"Well, you're going to have to give it a try" she said in a voice barely above a whisper as her sobs became closer together. "My lawyer will send you the papers. Lock up before you leave" she said in the same voice as she grabbed her coat and purse.

"NO! COURTNEY! I WON'T LET YOU GO! I WON'T!" he protested, grabbing onto her, dropping to his knees and holding her legs. "I love you, and I love our family. And I am not going to just let you walk out on us. On me"

"Jason, please, let go of me" she said as she sobbed right along with him as she pried him off of her legs.

Running from the house, Courtney jumped into her car and sped off, leaving Jason to watch her and break down in the doorframe of the house that they once called theirs.

* * *

Courtney made it to the park before she couldn't drive anymore. Getting out, she lied back against a tree and let out all of her heart wrenching tears. She didn't want to break his heart like that, but it was necessary. They couldn't keep up this painful dance that they were doing. All the sudden, Courtney saw a hand reach out to her to comfort her. Looking up, she was shocked to see who it was. 


	7. Sick Visit

**Chapter 7- Sick Visit**

Courtney made it to the park before she couldn't drive anymore. Getting out, she lied back against a tree and let out all of her heart wrenching tears. She didn't want to break his heart like that, but it was necessary. They couldn't keep up this painful dance that they were doing. All the sudden, Courtney saw a hand reach out to her to comfort her. Looking up, she was shocked to see who it was.

"Joshua, what are you doing here?" she asked as she tried to wipe away her tears.

"I was just walking through the park when I saw you run from your car and just start crying. Are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm… I just… I" but Courtney couldn't tell him as she burst into tears.

"Shh, it's ok now" he told her as he kneeled down, not caring that he was ruining his expensive business suit as he pulled her to him and hugged her tight.

"I'm sorry, I'm completely ruining your suit" she said as she wiped away her tears after a few moments.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Sometimes we just all need a shoulder to cry on" he comforted her. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"My husband and I…we're getting a separation"

"His idea?"

"No, mine. The relationship just isn't healthy anymore" she said with a sigh. "Not like it makes it any easier"

"No, I wouldn't imagine that it would. Come on" he said as he helped her up.

"Are we going somewhere?" she asked.

"Yes, we are" he said as he led her away.

* * *

"Where are we?" she asked as he led her up into a building overlooking the park.

"We are at my apartment" he said as he pushed open the door and led her in.

"Wow, it's huge. And look at that view!" she cried as she ran to the window.

"You like?" he asked her with a grin.

"I love" she said, turning to him with a smile.

They held each others gaze for a moment before Courtney broke the eye contact, obviously embarrassed.

"You have a lot of CDs" she said, gazing at the collection as she tried to hastily change the subject.

"I love music" he told her. "And I love to dance in the company of a beautiful woman. What about you?"

"Hmm, dancing with a beautiful woman…" she said as she pretended to contemplate it.

"Or dancing in general" he said with a smile at her.

"I love to dance. My husband…I mean Jason…I mean Meg's father…I mean… well, we didn't dance much" said Courtney, swallowing a fresh batch of tears.

"Well then, I must tend to this problem" he said as he turned on a slow song. "Dance with me" he said, more of a command than a question, as he outstretched his hand.

Courtney looked at it for a moment before tentatively taking it.

"I shouldn't" she said, trying to pull away.

"It's just a dance" he told her as he pulled her close and began to sway to the music with her.

Before Courtney knew what she was doing, she was resting her head on his chest. He encircled his arms around her and held her even more tightly to him, smelling her hair as he did. Courtney closed her eyes at his touch. She opened her eyes and was shocked to see a pair of green eyes staring at her instead of the ocean blue ones that she was used to.

"I'm sorry, I have to go" she cried as she pulled away, grabbed her purse and coat, and bolted from the apartment, leaving a dejected Joshua behind.

* * *

One week later, the separation was still on. Courtney had agreed to let Jason have Meg for the weekend because he missed his daughter so much. He had been embarrassed around her, knowing that she had heard their argument and she had heard him yelling at Courtney. Although Meg was upset about the fight, she didn't really understand what the difference between a legal separation and the prior separation was. All she knew was that Mommy and Daddy don't kiss anymore. It still hurt Jason to know that his wife was out there, all alone, without him there to love and protect her.

Jason walked into Ms. Hartman's classroom where he saw Meg playing with Cameron.

"I'm not early, am I?" he asked Veronica.

"No, not at all Mr. Morgan" she said with a seductive smile at him.

"I thought we were on a first name basis" he said with a smile.

"Right, sorry. Jason" she said, relishing the sound as she said his name. "I haven't seen you in so long. Usually your wife picks Meg up"

"Yeah, it's my turn though" he said, uncomfortable with the situation. "Anyway, we better go. Come on Meg" said Jason.

"Coming Daddy" she said as she said goodbye to Cameron and ran over to Jason. "Achoo" she sneezed and Veronica handed Jason a Kleenex.

"Thanks" he said. "Are you getting sick Meg?" he asked with a frown.

"Ugg, trust me, it's a Kindergarten classroom. There's always something going around. This week it's some 24-hour virus" said Veronica.

"I hope she's alright" said Jason as he picked her up in his arms and felt her forehead. "She doesn't feel warm"

"Let me" said Veronica.

She put one hand on Meg's forehead and one hand on Jason's.

"I need something to compare it to" she told him with a smile. "She feels fine. I think she should be ok"

"I trust you. You are the teacher" he said.

Veronica tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and the two smiled at each other for a moment until a sniffle from Meg brought them back to reality.

"We should go. Say goodbye Meg" said Jason.

"Bye-bye Ms. Hartman" said Meg as she waved.

"Bye Meg. See you on Monday" said Veronica as she smiled at them as she left.

She sighed and sunk down into her chair once they were gone, smiling at Cameron when he looked at her strangely.

* * *

Jason woke up early Saturday morning to the sounds of whimpering coming from the room Meg was staying in. He quickly jumped out of bed and ran to her. He found her twisting and turning in bed, her face flushed, her nose running, and her cheeks covered in tears.

"Daddy!" she cried with a frown when she saw him and she held out her arms to him.

"Hey sweet pea" he said as he quickly scooped her up in his arms.

"I don't feel good" she told him as she hugged him tight, burying her face in his chest.

"I know babe" he told her. "I guess you do have that virus"

"Do I have to go to the doctor?" she asked fearfully.

"Nah, this is just a virus. There's nothing he can do for you. You just need to rest, and watch some TV, and eat plenty of soup, ok?"

"Ok" she said. "Will you stay with me Daddy?" she asked.

"Of course babe" he told her as he lied down in the bed next to her.

* * *

Saturday was hard for Jason. Meg was really not feeling good and she was impossible when she was sick. He really needed Courtney's help, but he refused to call her. His pride and stubbornness prevented him from doing so. He was so mad at her for the separation and he refused to rely on her. He would handle everything by himself. Meg was crying on the couch, her fever making her irritable, and a bowl of soup that Jason was trying to get her to eat remained untouched on the coffee table. There was a knock on the door and frustrated Jason got up to answer it.

"What?" he growled as he flung it open.

"Is now a bad time?" asked Veronica, an apologetic look on her face.

"No, sorry about that. It's just that Meg did catch that virus and I'm in the middle of fighting with her to eat something"

"Let me" said Veronica, pushing her way into the apartment. "Hey Meg" she said with a sympathetic smile.

"Hi Ms. Hartman" said Meg with another sniffle.

"Come on Meg, you need to eat some soup for me, ok?"

"I don't want to" she said with a pout.

"I know, but you need to. Tell you what, you have 5 bites of soup and I'll let you pick the story that we all read on Monday, ok?" asked Veronica.

"Ok" said Meg, opening her mouth to let Veronica shovel 5 big spoonfuls of soup into her mouth.

"Thanks" said Jason gratefully as Meg went back to squirming and watching TV.

"Really, it's no problem. Nothing like some old fashioned bribery" she said with a smile.

"Yeah really" said Jason with a smile of his own. "Not to be rude, but why are you here?"

"Oh, right, sorry!" she said, hitting herself in the head. "I didn't come here just to bribe your daughter you know. I uh actually heard from Liz Spencer about your separation from your wife. Don't worry, we weren't gossiping or anything, but she was picking up Cameron and he mentioned that he wanted a playdate with Meg. So I said he should call you two, and she said something like 'well, one of them anyway" and I asked her what she meant and then she mentioned the separation. I think she thought I knew already. But anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I know how in love you were with your wife"

"I'm fine" he said gruffly.

"Look, I know that you aren't a big talker, and I kinda knew that you wouldn't want to talk about this, especially with someone like me. I mean, you barely know me. But I'm an impartial source. Unlike your other friends and family, I don't really know Courtney. I just thought I'd offer a shoulder to lean on. Anyway, I've embarrassed myself enough for one day, so I'm just going to go. I hope Meg feels better" she said as she started to walk away.

"Wait, don't go" he called after her.

She slowly turned around.

"You're right. I do need someone just to talk to who won't be biased."

She nodded at him and walked back into the Penthouse, shutting the door behind her. She sat down on the couch and glanced at Meg who was now fast asleep.

"Lemme put her upstairs" he whispered as he picked her up and carried up to her bedroom.

Veronica looked around the living room, ignoring all the pictures of Courtney.

"She still asleep?" asked Veronica when Jason came back down.

"She's out cold. I think it's all that Children's Motrin I stuffed in her"

"That'll do the trick" said Veronica as she motioned for Jason to join her on the couch.

"Kids are so hard to handle when they're sick" he moaned as he buried his face in his hands.

"Aww, I'm sorry" she said as she placed a hand on his arm.

"Do you have any kids?" he asked her.

"First, that involves getting a husband. And getting a husband involves getting a boyfriend" she joked with a smile, but Jason could tell that it was a strained topic of conversation for her.

He shrugged his shoulders and said "what, you're like 23 though, you still have time"

She laughed.

"I'm older than I look"

"What, like 24?" he teased.

"Maybe" she said with an elusive smile and he laughed. "I mean, even Meg has a boyfriend"

"What?" asked Jason as he visibly paled.

"God, you should see your face" she laughed.

"I'm sorry, but she's my little girl. I don't want her having a boyfriend" said Jason, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who is this boy anyway?" he asked.

"Cameron Spencer" she said with a laugh.

"Seriously?" asked Jason.

"I don't know if they're officially going out, but they sure do spend a lot of time together and there is a lot of handholding" said Veronica with a laugh.

"Oh god, Luke Spencer's going to be my daughter's father in law" moaned Jason.

"Now who's the one rushing along Meg's childhood to adulthood" teased Veronica.

"Hey, you were the one who brought it up" he mocked as she continued to laugh.

"They were pretending to get married the other day…now that you mention it"

"WHAT!" he asked in shock.

All the sudden, a flash went off in his eyes.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"I just wanted to capture that look on your face forever" she said, holding up her camera phone.

"Hey, give me that" he demanded as he tried to grab it from her.

"Nope" she said, holding it out of his reach.

"Come on" he said, reaching for it.

"Never!" she cried, both laughing as he fought for the phone.

But their play was interrupted suddenly by someone clearing their throat from the front door. They both turned around to see a very unhappy Courtney standing there, her arms folded over her chest, her foot taping on the ground, and her eyes bearing into Jason.


	8. The Middle of the End

**Chapter 8- The Middle of the End**

"Um, hey Courtney?" said Jason tentatively.

"'Um, hey Courtney?'" she mimicked in a less than pleased voice. "Is that all you have to say to me?"

"Look, this isn't what it looked like" he said, getting off the couch and taking a step towards her but she backed off.

"Oh, I think it's exactly what it looks like" she snapped. "I heard that _my_ daughter was sick and I came over to check on her. But I guess you've got it all under control, right? Instead of taking care of her, you're messing around with her _teacher_. I didn't realize we were seeing other people. Looks like I never got that memo, but don't worry, I have it now" she snapped before turning on her heel and storming out of the apartment.

"Wait! Courtney!" he yelled, trying to chase after her.

"Jason, let her go. She needs some time" said Veronica as she softly put her hand on Jason's arm.

He pulled away from her touch and tried to run after Courtney again but Veronica blocked the door this time.

"Jason, trust me, I _am_ a woman. I know how she's feeling. And the last thing she wants right now is half-assed explanations and overcrowding. Give her some space, she'll calm down. Besides, she's right about one thing. Your daughter's here and she's sick. She needs her daddy"

"I guess" grumbled Jason as he went back to sit on the couch.

"You ok?" she asked sweetly.

"I'm fine" he mumbled, and it was obvious that he was lying. "Maybe its better if you just go" he said.

Veronica pursed her lips together and didn't say anything for a moment before silently getting up and gathering her things.

"Call me if you need anything. I hope Meg gets better soon" she said tensely before leaving and closing the door tightly behind her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Courtney had rushed into her car and was driving at breakneck speed. When she reached her destination, she parked her car and ran towards the building. Racing up the stairs, she banged on the door while trying to catch her breath.

"Courtney, are you ok?" Joshua asked as he pealed open the door.

"I am now" she whispered, still breathlessly as she pulled him into a passionate kiss.

* * *

"Aunt Carly, why are you taking me to school?" asked Meg innocently from the seat in the back of the limo next to her aunt.

"So that you and I can spend a little more time together" lied Carly.

After all, how do you explain the real reason to a five year old? That daddy's sleeping with your teacher (despite his claims) and mommy resents both of them for it? Carly smiled at her niece and tried to pretend like everything was ok.

"Aunt Carly, I know that mommy and daddy had a big fight. I heard daddy tell Uncle Sonny that mommy was never going to forgive him. Why not? What did he do that was so bad?"

"Don't worry about it sweetie. Daddy and Mommy are just being very dramatic right now. It's just a lot of grownup stuff" said Carly.

"I don't like grownup stuff" the little girl told her aunt. "I like when me, Mommy, Daddy, and Simba all live together and we're happy. Mommy and Daddy don't spend time together anymore"

"They're just angry with each other right now. They'll calm down soon and it'll go back to that" Carly told her sympathetically.

She now understood how Courtney had felt all those times that Michael had run away to her house while Carly and Sonny were fighting. It was a feeling of total helplessness. It was as though she couldn't provide any comfort for the little girl.

"What if they don't calm down? What if it's a really long fight?"

"Don't worry about that honey. Just go to school, have fun, and play with your friends. It'll all be ok"

"Promise?" asked Meg.

Carly just smiled at her, a hard, forced smile.

* * *

"Why are you looking at Ms. Hartman like that?" Cameron asked Meg as he saw her glaring at their teacher all throughout story time.

"She came over my Daddy's penthouse the other night. And after that, he and my mommy got into a huge fight" Meg explained.

"Why?" asked Cam.

"I don't know" said Meg. "Grownup stuff" she said, and Cameron nodded his head in understanding.

"Grownup stuff" sighed Jessica. "My Uncle and Aunt had grownup stuff. And then my aunt moved out and I haven't seen her since than" said the little girl as she looked up from the picture she was coloring.

"What happened?" asked Cameron.

Jessica just shrugged.

"Maybe she joined the circus" suggested one kid.

"Or went someplace warm. My mommy always wants to go someplace warm" said another.

"Maybe she was eaten by a bear" suggested Cameron, and the kids nodded at this as though it made sense.

"Maybe we should ask Ms. Hartman. She's good at answering questions" tried Jessica.

"No, let's not ask her" said Meg, glaring once more at the teacher as she put away the books they had been reading.

* * *

"I'm here to pick up my daughter" said Courtney huffily as she walked into the classroom.

"I…uh…haven't seen you in a while. Usually one of Meg's aunts or uncles pick her up and drop her off" said Veronica.

"Yeah, I guess your boyfriend can't take time out of his busy schedule to take care of his daughter. I on the other hand, have been avoiding you by letting her relatives pick her up. I didn't want to slip up. After all, the last thing my daughter needs to know is how big of a slut the woman she's supposed to look up to is and how big of an asshole her own father is"

"Look, not like anything happened between me and Jason or anything, but if it did, it's perfectly understandable. You two are separated. In fact, you were the one who got the papers and came up with the idea in the first place"

"Don't even pretend to know everything about me and my relationship with Jason" snorted Courtney. "Because you know nothing. Jason and I are complex. And someone like you wouldn't be able to even begin to grasp that complexity. So I'm not even going to try to explain it to you"

"Nothing happened between me and Jason" maintained Veronica.

"Are you attracted to him?" asked Courtney.

"I don't really think that's any of your business" said Veronica haughtily.

"See, and I think that it is" sneered Courtney. "You're messing with _my _family. _My_ husband and _my_ daughter. Maybe Jason and I are separated, but we are still legally man and wife. And I am not going to let a tramp like you come here and mess with my family"

"_You_ kicked _him_ out. Excuse him if he took that as an opportunity to broaden his horizons" hissed Veronica.

"Even so, he's my family. He's my daughter's father. And she doesn't need to have to deal with something as grotesque as her father dating her kindergarten teacher. So hear me when I say that if I wouldn't bat an eyelash about reporting this to the school board"

"Are you that desperate?" asked Veronica viciously.

"No, I'm that protective of my daughter. And I really don't approve of you exploiting her like this"

"It's not exploitation, don't worry"

"Oh I am worried. I won't let you use my daughter to get to Jason. You can come in here with your fake smile and your low cut top, but when it all comes down to it; you are just sweet talking everyone to get your way. If Jason is too blind to see that, then I can't tell him otherwise. But my daughter won't be a pawn in your game to bag my husband. Are we clear?"

"Crystal" said Veronica through clenched teeth. "But for your information, you were the one who came here, not me. This is _my_ classroom. And I think it's time that you left"

"Fine. Come on Meg" she said, her voice softening as she spoke to her daughter.

"Goodbye Meg, I'll see you tomorrow" Veronica called to the little blonde girl, her sugar coated voice returning.

Meg looked at the woman and sighed. She gave her teacher a half-wave and then followed her mother, still unsure of whether to trust Veronica Hartman or not.

* * *

"Jason" said Veronica the next morning, the surprise evident in her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Just dropping Meg off" he said as he watched his daughter run to play with his friends. "Why do you seem so surprised?"

"No, it's nothing. It's just that another relative of Meg's usually drops her off"

"Yeah, actually my sister Emily was supposed to but she has her own daughter and she got caught up with her, so she called me and let me know at last minute"

"And I'm assuming Courtney had already went to work and dropped Meg off at your place" said Veronica.

"Ah, yeah, why?" he asked.

"Because I doubt she'd let you be here around me if she knew about it" said Veronica bitterly.

"What do you mean?"

"Courtney and I had a talk yesterday. Basically, she accused me of using Meg to get into your pants" she said bluntly.  
"She what? That doesn't sound like my Courtney! She's usually so calm and collected"

"Alright, first of all Jason, you don't have a Courtney anymore. You're separated remember?" she asked him.

"It doesn't mean anything" he mumbled.

"Oh Jason" she sighed. "And second of all… Courtney was no where near calm and collected. She threatened to report me to the school board"

"For what?"

"Sleeping with a student's father"

"We're not sleeping together though"

"I know that, and you know that, but Courtney doesn't seem to know that, and that would be a pretty serious accusation against me" said Veronica.

"I'll talk to her" said Jason with a sigh. "But give her a break, she hasn't been herself lately"


	9. Chapters 9 20

A/N: Alright, here's the summaries of the last chapters just like I promised.

**

* * *

Chapter 9-**

Jason talks to Courtney and she gets angry at him. They fight and yell at each other, and Jason yells in his anger that even though he isn't sleeping with Veronica, they could both date whoever they wanted to. Courtney gets angry and storms out.

Meanwhile, Meg is asking Sonny questions about when her mommy and daddy are going to stop fighting and both she and Sonny get very upset- Meg because she doesn't know what's going on and she's very confused and Sonny because his happy and perfect family is falling apart.

Courtney goes to Joshua and tells him that they should start officially dating. He's taken aback and slightly hesitant at first- he doesn't want to be used as a pawn in Courtney and Jason's games. She assures him that she's over Jason and just wants to move on with life. They agree to date and the two are kissing when Carly walks in to drop off Meg.

The next day when Meg is visiting Jason, she mentions that her mommy was kissing Joshua. Jason confronts Carly who confesses that she and Meg walked in on the two. Jason asks Carly to watch Meg and he rushes over to Veronica's house, immediately kissing her. He asks her if he could take her out that night and she agrees. They go to the Metrocourt where they run into Joshua and Courtney. They try to ignore each other, but the tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

Sonny meets Carly at Kelly and suprises Carly with a romantic home cooked dinner instead but she tells him that she needs to watch Meg. Liz overhears their conversation and offers to watch the girl. Carly is reluctant but Sonny convinces her after seeing how well Meg and Cameron get along.

Meg and Cameron have their slumber party and right before going to bed, Cameron kisses Meg on the cheek in an absolutely "aww" moment.

**

* * *

Chapter 10-**

Courtney and Meg are at the park when they run into Jason. They start to fight about the dinners at the Metrocourt the other night and Courtney tells him that she's done fighting. As they fight, Meg is getting increasingly upset and she runs off from them without either realizing. All the sudden, they hear Meg scream and they look and see a strange man trying to grab her. Jason runs after the guy with his gun out and when the man sees him, he drops Meg and runs off. Jason has the guards chase after him while he and Courtney make sure Meg is ok.

She's fine, but Courtney's not. They blow up at each other again, Jason accusing Courtney of not watching her close enough. Courtney bites back by saying that Meg's Jason's responsibility too and he should have been watching her as well. She goes on to accuse him of being responsible for it all because of his business. She tells him that she wouldn't have needed to watch Meg as closely if it wasn't for her daddy being in the mob. This is the last straw for her and she demands a divorce. She also tells Jason that she's fighting to full custody and they both know that she is likely to get it.

**

* * *

Chapter 11-**

Carly and Sonny decide to take matters into their own hands after seeing a heartbroken Meg begging them to put her family back together. Carly has a talk with Courtney and Sonny with Jason but neither talk goes well. Courtney turns the conversation around on Carly and just gets angrier. Jason meanwhile doubts his ability to keep his daughter safe anyway and says that he is fed up with Courtney and he refuses to stay with her just for Meg's sake.

Later on that week, Courtney announces that she and Joshua are taking a "business trip" together. She leaves Meg with Jason and jets off with Joshua. A hurt Jason lashes out and decides he wants to hurt Courtney just as much as she hurt him and he leaves Meg with a disgruntled Carly once again who's getting tired of playing babysitter while Jason and Courtney are dealing with their problems and sexcapades.

Jason goes to Veronica's house and the two start to go at it. They get swept up in the heat of the moment and they are passionately ripping off each other's clothes. They are about to seal the deal when Jason pulls away and says he cant do it. He leaves and gets angry at himself for not being able to just cast Courtney aside.

**

* * *

Chapter 12-**

Jason goes to the docks to gather his thoughts when he sees someone sneaking around the warehouse. He goes behind the guy and knocks him out. When he pulls off his ski mask, he realizes that it's the same guy who tried to kidnap Meg. He ties him up in the warehouse and with Max and Marco he starts to interrogate the guy.

Meanwhile, Courtney and Joshua are on their little trip together. He gets them one room with one bed but Courtney gets uncomfortable. She tells him that she's not ready to bring the relationship to that level and he says that he understands and they get Courtney a separate room. As Courtney sits alone in her room, she reflects on her relationship with Jasosn and muses over where they went wrong.

Jason is beating the crap out of the guy, using him as a means of channeling all of his anger that has built up over the past weeks. The guy finally gives in and gives up the name of his employer- the one who hired him to shoot Jason, kidnap Meg, and plant a bomb in the warehouse- one that he was unable to because Jason accosted him. He reveals that he never knew the man's first name, but he knew that his first initial was A. He says that the last name was Quarter-something. Some state he says. Realization dawns on Jason. The whole time, it was AJ!

**

* * *

Chapter 13-**

Jason tracks down Courtney via Sonny and Carly and they tell her that she needs to come home immediately. Courtney rushes home, forgetting to even tell Josh that she was leaving. When she gets home Jason tells her what he found out. Courtney immediately feels guilty and starts to cry. Jason takes her in his arms and tries to comfort her. She apologizes to Jason and tells him that she feels terrible that she accused him of being responsible for it. She now knows that the terror wasn't related to his business and in fact, his connections through the business were what probably saved them from all being dead a long time ago at AJ's hand.

Courtney knows that she has some serious reconsidering to do and Jason tells Courtney that he doesn't blame her for getting angry with him. He tells her that the business is no place for a family and a little girl and he doesn't deserve her or Meg. Courtney tries to comfort him as well and tells him that he was the best husband and the best father. As they are talking, Courtney's phone rings. It's Josh and he's confused. Ooops. Courtney tells him what happened and Jason has to suppress a laugh as he hears the conversation.

He soon turns somber though when he realizes what their trip meant. He asks her if she slept with Joshua when she gets off the phone and she asks him if she slept with Veronica. They both admit that they didn't and for a moment, it looks like all hope isn't lost.

**

* * *

Chapter 14-**

Carly, Sonny, and Meg decide to take matters into their own hands. They organize a rendezvous for Courtney and Jason, not telling either of them that the other would be there. When they see what their family's done, they realize that they're being stupid. They knew it was bad when a Carly plan actually works and they both start laughing, sharing a lighter moment.

Jason tells Courtney that he knows that she doesn't want any more violence, but he needs to take care of AJ. Courtney agrees with him, knowing that it is completely necessary and she actually wants to see AJ suffer for what he did. Courtney leaves, kissing Jason on the cheek as she does.

It is raining outside as she walks to home through the park. All the sudden, Jason is there after chasing after her. They gaze at each other for a moment before he claims her in a kiss that is eerily reminiscent of their first kiss together. After he breaks away from her, he tells her that he was staring out the window and he couldn't stop thinking about her or their first kiss in the rain. He tells her that he loves her and he always has and that he hates that things got so messed up. She tells him that she loves him too and she kisses him again.

**

* * *

Chapter 15-**

They are still kissing when Jason's phone rings. He picks it up and looks shocked. When he hangs up, he tells Courtney that AJ is dead- he died of alcohol poisoning in the Bahamas. Courtney asks if he's sure and he says that Sonny saw the body himself and had his own private professional make sure. They are both shocked but relieved as they realize that Jason doesn't have to be the one to kill AJ and it's all over. Jason kisses her again and drops to his knees in the rain. He asks her to marry him. Again. She laughs and tells him that they're not even divorced yet. He says he doesn't care and he wants to marry her again anyway. She laughs some more and agrees as the two kiss again.

**

* * *

Chapter 16-**

Courtney, Carly, and Meg go to planning the wedding. Meg asks what a wedding escort is. Carly tells her that it's like a date to a wedding. Meg asks if she can bring one and Carly and Courtney laugh and ask her if she has a particular guy in mind. She tells them that she wants to bring Cameron. They laugh some more and Jason and Sonny come in and want to know what's so funny. They tell him about Meg's date and Jason decides he needs to have a talk with Cameron. Meg tells him it's completely unnecessary; they already kissed. Jason gets really pale as everyone else laughs.

Finally, it's the night before the wedding and Jason has to stay at the penthouse so that he doesn't see the bride. It brings back bad memories for both him and Courtney but they are comforted in knowing that this was the last night they'd ever have to spend apart.

**

* * *

Chapter 17-**

It's the wedding! Everything goes off perfectly and it's all good. Courtney and Jason are getting ready to leave on their honeymoon when Meg decides that she doesn't want them to go. She grabs on to their legs and refuses to let go. She tells them that she wants to come with them. They are in the middle of convincing her that it'll be ok when a loud bang is heard. The limo they were about to get into exploded and Meg's little outburst just saved their lives!

**

* * *

Chapter 18-**

Courtney is very upset that someone set a time bomb- it was supposed to end with AJ's death. They decide that maybe AJ wasn't dead. Jason insists on taking both Courtney and Meg to the hospital because they were so close to the car. They say they're fine, but Jason takes her anyway. Courtney has a cut on her head from the debris. However, there was a big car accident and there are no free doctors at the hospital. Jason just wants to get out of there so he lets Allen take care of her. Jason is waiting in the waiting room with Meg when he gets a bad feeling and goes to check on her. When he walks in, Allen has Courtney pinned against the wall and is trying to stab her with a needle. It suddenly hits him that it was Allen, not AJ causing problems. AJ really was dead. Allen confesses that he wanted Jason and Courtney to break up so that he could snatch Meg up in the custody battle kill so that he gets his Quartermaine heir. Nikolas and Emily's child was in too deep with the Cassadines and AJ went AWOL and was now dead so he didn't have a choice. He admits that he tried to kill them when that didn't work because that's how desperate he was. Jason grabs him and saves Courtney. Meg wanders in to see her parents and Allen grabs her, holding a gun to her head.

**

* * *

Chapter 19-**

Jason wrestles the gun from him and Courtney grabs Meg and runs. Allen grabs the gun and tries to shoot them again, but Jason shoots him instead. People run in after hearing the commotion and Allen is pronounced dead on the spot. They want to charge Jason with murder (especially Scott and Taggert), but it was obviously defense. Courtney and Jason and Meg are haunted by what just happened that day as they go back to their house that night, not able to believe that their supposed to be happy day was ruined by that. Nikolas comes by on behalf of Emily and tells them that the funeral is the next day.

**

* * *

Chapter 20-**

All of the Morgan's attend the funeral. Edward and Tracey demand that Allen's killer not attend the funeral. Monica shuts them up, along with Emily. Jason thanks them both but Emily around and yells at him, saying that death wasn't the only option for Allen. She tells him that Lila is dealing with a lot right now especially. An emotional Jason begs Lila for forgiveness and tells her how sorry he is about her losing her son and grandson. She forgives him, but it is obvious that she is still colder to Jason and deeply hurt. The funeral starts and Edward gives an impassioned speech about the loss of his son and blames Jason. Jason gets up to leave but Meg begs him to stay. As they listen to her defend her daddy along with Courtney, most of the Quartermaines come to peace with it. After the funeral, Jason says he knows that it's caused Emily, Monica and Lila to view him differently, but he did what he had to do to protect his family. Courtney wonders if it will ever all be alright again, he tells her it will. They just all need time. He hugs her and Meg.

And that peeps, is THE END!

* * *

A/N: Thanks for supporting me guys! I really appreciate it. It's been great reading all of your reviews and kind words. This may not be the end! Who knows, I may come back from the dead, lol. Or, I'm sorry, _retirement._

Thanks especially to middiegurl (Jess), bgrJourney05 (Bre), emmalee05, SuzieQ8487, LoLogirl28, Tania, Nell, anon14, Pureevil230, and everyone else who has always reviewed. Sorry for the lack of personal shoutouts and sorry to those I missed, I just want to get this up. But I really do appreciate everyone's reviews.

Thanks again to everyone, and best of luck to everyone in their writing!

-Leanna Ross


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